The present invention relates to standoffs for supporting cargo on a motor vehicle roof, and in particular to a roof standoffs system including two elongated lateral roof standoffs.
Although the primary purpose of most automobiles is personal transportation, there is also a frequent need to transport other items such as sporting equipment, luggage, or building materials. Often, these items are too large to fit within the automobile interior or within a trunk, or the items are likely to damage the interior if carried therein. Roof racks have been developed to enable carrying such items on the roof of a motor vehicle.
Unfortunately, roof racks are either permanent, or are so difficult to install and remove, that they are effectively permanent. Known removable roof racks often require manipulation of cumbersome hooks and latches, and as a result, users inevitably either leave the racks in place on the automobile roof long after they are needed, or are reluctant to install the rack at all.
When permanent roof racks are installed on motor vehicle roofs, the air flow around the racks both creates drag and wind noise. With increasing fuel costs, drivers are reluctant to add mileage reducing drag to their automobiles. Further, drivers of high end automobiles are accustom to a quiet driving experience, and find excessive wind noise to be unacceptable
A protective cover for truck roofs is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,327 for “Protective Cover for Vehicle Surface.” The cover of the '327 patent is a thin sheet-like article which preferably wraps around the rear edge of a truck roof, thereby allowing cargo, for example a ladder extended diagonally from the truck bed and over the cab, to be supported by the truck roof without damaging the truck roof. Unfortunately, the roof protector of the '327 patent relies at least partially on the roof edge to maintain position (and is thus limited in positioning), and does not provide adequate vertical stand-off to protect an arced roof if cargo is carried horizontally on the roof of a motor vehicle versus diagonally.
A car door protector is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,147,176 for “Magnetic Car Door Protector.” The protector of the '176 patent is shallow and held in place by a large number of magnets. While such a protector provides some protection for a car door, the shallow design is only suitable for longitudinal placement and does not provide a vertical standoff sufficient if spaced apart for use on a cars roof (i.e., will not carry cargo high enough to clear a convex car roof profile), and the large number of magnets in the device of the '176, while required for the intended use on a car door, make the device difficult to position on a car roof or remove from a car roof.
What is needed is a motor vehicle roof protection system including standoffs providing sufficient height to carry cargo above the roof, and not requiring so many magnets that the standoffs are difficult to position or remove.